Managing Communication Knowledge and Information

Introduction

Managing communication and knowledge is crucial for business since that aids in collecting data for performing different business activities in an optimum manner. While operating business in an effective way, it is essential for the business manager to identify sources through which information about market entities can be acquired (Spitzeck and Hansen, 2010). The present research study has been describing ranges of decisions to be taken while establishing a business into market place and along with that internal and external sources of information are also assessed. Further, the report has been made on Asda which is one of the largest retail organizations in UK.

Part A

1.1 Identify operational and SMART business objectives for Asda

While establishing business in new market, it is essential for Asda to emphasize on SMART objectives so that business can be effectively conducted at market place. Such objectives can also assist Asda in managing all the operations in an effective manner.

In terms of specific objectives, Asda needs to diversify business on such market which is feasible and where entry restrictions are minimum (Smith, Love and Wyatt, 2001).

The success of objectives can be measured by observing how much the business is able to attract customers in new country.

All the objectives should be achievable; hence Asda should develop actual aims like selection of those market where new entrance is possible.

In terms of realistic, Asda should emphasize only on achieving suitable market share likewise 2 to 4% in starting phases (Summers, 2010).

All the defined aims and objectives should be accomplished within the period of 1.5 years.

1.2 Outline different knowledge and information requirements for acquiring objectives

At the initial stage, Asda must get information about the availability of customers and who are going to be targeted for the existing line of products. This will also aid in getting knowledge about the competition; hence in terms of results Asda's strategies can be changed.

Information about location is also required so that physical store can be established. At the same time, Asda should also assess prevailing market trends.

Information about customers and success of business policies should be acquired by assessing past records as through that growth and success probabilities can be determined.

1.3 Assess internal and external sources of information and how it contributes in organization's objectives

External sources

Online sources: This type of source considers numerous websites and articles that contains information about market place and it also includes government and industry reports, newspapers and microfilms. Subsequent sources are easily accessible and authentic (Advisicion, Runcie and Dochtermann, 2012). Past records and information: Relevant information can be acquired through past sources which also presents accurate and germane results for the subsequent purpose.

Internal sources:

Information from employees and customers: Views of employees and customers both can be used at the time when Asda is about to establish its business in new market place.

1.4 Justify recommendations for improvement

While undertaking different methods for selecting suitable market place, Asda needs to make several changes in existing processes in terms of improvements, so on that basis it is suggested to the business to access the feasibility ratio while implementing data into action. The business is also recommended to involve employee advice in decision making process so that accurate and feasible decisions can be taken (Maya, 2011). There are various sources in contemporary scenario that do not provide optimum information; thus it is essential for the marketing manager to explore only those resources which are quite feasible.

2.1 Identify stakeholders for a decision- making process

The major stakeholders of Asda are its employees, customers, owners and suppliers and the business is required to include all the stakeholders in decision making process so that their interest level can be maintained in company's processes (Stakeholder analysis, 2013). Employees should be included in decision making process as that seems to be highly valuable for managing business activities in effective manner. Employees should be provided with several benefits so that they can become productive elements for the company. On the other side, involvement of customer advice is also requisite as through that certain changes can be made in service provision as per preferences of customers. Suppliers can also help the company to manage resource allocation process and as a result, better more profits can be generated at the same time.

2.2 Make contact with stakeholders and develop relationships

Asda is required to develop frequent contact with the stakeholders so that they can be informed about company's processes and policies. There should be adequate modes of communication so that better relationships can be developed. These are the modes through which different stakeholders can be contacted:

Employees: Employees should be contacted through meetings, conferences and emails as through that proper level of interaction can also be developed within the organization. They can alsobe contacted through telephones and other modes (Alencar, 2005).

Customers: Proper strategies are required to develop for communicating with the customers and most importantly, Asda can use Customer Relationship Strategy so that frequent communication can be made with them.

2.3 Involve stakeholders in decision making process

All the stakeholders of Asda should be involved in decision making process so that possibilities of growth and success can be acquired. Employee advice is mandatory for every decision making process as their advice can change company's policies and strategies. This could also assist them in managing operational efficiency (Barker, 2013). At the same time, customers can be involved in marketing decisions as through that certain changes can be facilitated in company's strategies. Suppliers are also requisite to get engaged into decision making process as through that resource allocation process can be managed.

2.4 Design strategies for improvement

The process of involvement with the stakeholders can be improved by ensuring that the right people are being embodied. Furthermore, this participation must be considered from the very outset i.e. from the stage of concept development and all through execution to monitoring and assessment of outcomes (Curwin and Slater, 2008). At the same time efficient coordinator can also be brought in the scenarios who possess the ability to bring people together and manage conflicts, if any.

3.4 How to improve own communication and personal networking opportunities

In order to improve communication skills, it is essential for me to develop bonding with other employees so that actual information can be communicated. If I am working in the organization, then it is essential for me to maintain direct communication with all the departments which can also minimize possibilities of misconceptions and conflicts. Personal networking is essential for me since through that, I would be able to access different sources for collecting information from different sources.

Part B

3.1 Report on existing communication process of Asda

It has been observed that Asda is facilitating two way communication process so that misconceptions in sharing information can be avoided. The communication process of Asda involves certain steps and all are being mentioned in the below section:

Sender: Sender is the person which sends messages to other party and he is entirely responsible in making the process more effective. Sender can send the message through any medium as in whether it can be verbal or he can use symbols as well to get the message.

Encoding: Encoding is the way in which sender codes the message and it usually showcases communication channels of the party (Guffey and Loewy, 2010).

Message: Message is the key ingredient of any communication process which is placed in the initial stage. It is the responsibility of the sender to make the objective clear so that the receiver may not face any problem while comprehending the objective.

Mode: Medium is the way to transmit the message to the recipient. The sender of Asda must choose appropriate medium to convey the message for making the process more effective.

Decoding: Recipient is the receiver of the message. The decoder understands the message on the basis of his knowledge level and here he can also change the code of message while transmitting it

Feedback: One of the significant components of communication process is feedback which sender gives to the receiver. Feedback can also be in any form as mentioned above. Hence without having feedback, the process is said to be incomplete.

3.2 Recommend one improvement that could be made to the communication process

As per the above mentioned process, communication process of Asda is working in appropriate manner; however it still needs to facilitate several changes so that messages can be transmitted from one place to another in suitable manner (Remenyi and Sherwood-Smith, 1999). Thus in order to improve communication process, it is recommended to managers of Asda to facilitate involvement of each member into decision making process so that quality services can be provided to the customers. On the other hand, there should be single language used at a time in process so that misconceptions and misguiding can be avoided. The process of communication should be clear to each and every employee of the business and that should be integrated with decentralized form. The process also needs to be developed with the top management so that suitable directions can be facilitated within the entire team (Rouse, 2002). These are some of the improvements which could be executed in the organization; however apart from these improvements, one major improvement needs to be executed. Communication process should be developed on the basis of transparency so that each and every stakeholder can access to company's resources. Transparency is required in the process so that clear and direct sharing of information can be facilitated.

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3.3 Outline how this improvement could be implemented

This improvement could be executed in the business by involving all the employees in decision making process as through that suitable changes can be implemented into business processes. Asda is also required to develop a defined procedure and that procedure should be communicated adequately within all the employees. In order to maintain direct communication, employees of Asda should be embodied into decision making process so that a sustainable standard can be maintained in the business (Rowley, 2003). Effective communication is fundamental key to success as it is very important in every aspect of life. Personal communication skills are required in order to increase the effectiveness of each employee. All the employees are required to respond quickly to the decisions of top management so that the undertaken decisions can be executed in organizational practices. All the employees should support the managers in optimum manner and they should try to contribute in organizational success as possible. Apart form this, it is also essential for transparency management to share and disseminate equal information amid all the employees (Shettleworth, 2010). Therefore in order to execute the improvement in sustainable manner at Asda, then the business should consider interest of all stakeholders in company's processes.

4.1 Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge

Organizations like Asda collects information from different sources which aids the business to manage work processes in effective manner. All such information needs to be stored and disseminate in adequate manner so that knowledge level can be augmented in the business. Generally, organization uses different approaches to collect information, to implement in the plan and to disseminate it in front of everyone (ICT And The Voluntary Sector, 2008). Survey method is conducted in order to get the response from its customers about the product offered to them so that they can make appropriate changes in the policies and this is also called as the most effective process of collecting data. On the other hand, to format the collected data, Asda and managers needs to segregate relevant and other data so that it can be collectively used in business resources. Effective communication is required so that it builds up relationships with the customers and so that to provide the customers with the general information of the organization (Singh and Sapre, 2008). Thus this is also the other mode of data grabbing which managers of Asda can use for the current procedure. The distribution of knowledge and information is the essential constituent for Asda; hence in order to do such thing employees must get idea about all the aspects.

4.2 Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge

Employee management is considered as the most effective process which the HR department should consider and in order to collect information about the employees, it is essential for Asda to emphasize on different resources. In contemporary scenario, employees play major role in organization's development so that information about such thing can be communicated properly within the department (Smith, Love and Wyatt, 2001). In the above mentioned section, it is being mentioned that Asda has been collecting quality information from different sources; however then also researcher should emphasize on relevant and germane information only, for encouraging accuracy rate of the study. In order to store information in effective manner, Asda needs to develop adequate storage system where large pool of information can be stored. In contemporary scenario, all the organizations are using security drives and software so that unauthorized person may not access it.

4.3 Implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information and knowledge

The above mentioned changes can be implemented in the business if Asda is able to develop subsequent strategy for the same (Spitzeck and Hansen, 2010). All sorts of transformations can be applied in business if the manager is able to operate the things in effective manner. Apparently new methods of data collection can be selected in which range of other sources like social media sources and other techniques can be selected. The manager of Asda needs to emphasize on proper strategies for collecting data and while collecting information, they are also required to use only such resources which are feasible and quality integrated (Maya, 2011). The HR department of Asda needs to manage information storage by protecting the assessing system with passwords and ids so that data storage can be made it protected. At the same time, knowledge should be acquired with range of sources so that feasible actions can be taken for business growth and success. Hence all such strategies should be executed in appropriate manner so that optimum outcomes can be generated (Summers, 2010). Therefore these probable change can be executed in the business effectively if organizational resources are allocated in suitable manner.

Conclusion

Articulating the case, it can be said that communicational strategies are required to develop so that information can be shared in adequate manner. Stakeholders are required to take part in decision making process; hence several methods of communication have been stated through which stakeholders can be involved in decision making process. A creative plan has been made to improve communication skills. Lastly, several approaches for data collection, storage and dissemination have been presented for the established business.